456 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
empty  clean  combs  that  have  been  ased  for  the  purpose  in  previous 
years,  but  not  with  comb  foundation,  as  it  would  be  too  tender  for 
extracting  purposes,  and  be  liable  to  break  down  in  the  extractor. 
Should  all  the  stocks  be  extra  strong  in  bees,  one  colony  will  have 
sufficient  bees  and  brood  to  strengthen  two  stocks  for  honey  pro¬ 
duction.  They  should  always  be  covered  up  warm,  and  not  be 
disturbed  for  a  few  days. 
The  hive  containing  a  double  set  of  combs  will  be  full  to  over¬ 
flowing  with  bees  by  the  fact  of  the  brood  hatching  above  and 
below,  the  queen  being  confined  in  the  bottom  hive  by  means  of 
the  queen  excluder  zinc,  and  in  three  weeks  the  whole  of  the  brood 
in  the  top  storey  will  have  hatched  out.  This  immense  colony  will 
quickly  fill  with  honey  the  emptied  combs  of  the  upper  storey, 
&Dd  as  soon  as  sealed  over  will  be  emptied  by  the  extractor  and 
returned  to  be  refilled.  These  strong  colonies  require  care  in 
their  management,  but  with  plenty  of  bottom  ventilation  and 
shading  from  the  bright  sunshine  will  not  swarm. 
Returning  to  the  stock  which  has  been  deprived  of  the  majority 
of  its  combs  and  bees,  the  comb  containing  the  queen  and  adhering 
bees  should  be  placed  in  the  hive  again,  and  four  or  five  empty 
combs  or  frames  of  foundation  should  be  given  them,  placing  the 
frame  of  brood  in  the  centre  of  other  frames,  and  others  as 
required,  a  few  of  the  old  bees  will  return  to  their  old  stand. 
These  weakened  colonies  are  excellent  for  rearing  young  queens. 
By  working  on  the  above  lines  a  much  larger  quantity  of  honey 
may  be  obtained  than  from  any  other  system  that  I  have  yet  tried. 
Bees  and  Tomatoes. 
The  experiment  that  was  tried  at  the  Cornell  Horticultural 
Station  of  placing  a  hive  of  bees  in  a  house  filled  with  Tomato 
plants  ended,  as  may  have  been  expected,  in  failure,  as  bees  never 
work  on  the  Tomato  blossoms,  although  they  contain  a  plentiful 
supply  of  pollen.  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  the  further  the  bees 
can  keep  from  the  Tomato  plants  the  better  they  are  pleased,  as 
the  perfume  from  them  is  not  pleasant.  No  wonder  they  made 
frequent  efforts  to  escape  from  the  house.  It  is  now  an  exploded 
idea  that  it  is  necessary  to  place  a  hive  of  bees  in  early  Peach 
houses,  which  was  a  common  practice  a  few  years  ago,  to  the 
great  detriment  of  the  bees,  as,  although  they  work  freely  on  the 
Peach  blossoms,  they  do  not  like  confinement,  and  will  make 
frequent  efforts  to  escape,  resulting  in  the  loss  of  many  bees.  As 
they  are  so  useful  in  fertilising  the  flowers  of  our  hardy  fruits  it 
shows  the  danger  there  is  in  spraying  the  trees  with  arsenical 
poisons  whilst  in  bloom,  doing  damage  to  the  blossoms  as  well  as 
the  industrious  busy  working  bee. — An  English  Bee-keeper. 
Bees  in  Devon. 
Having  read  with  much  interest  the  notes  on  bees  in  the 
Journal  of  Horticulture  for  some  time  past,  I  thought  some  of  the 
readers  may  like  to  know  how  bee3  are  doing  in  Devon.  I  have  all 
my  hives  supered  except  two  or  three  I  want  to  swarm,  and  J  have 
just  taken  off  a  splendidly  filled  section  (May  4th),  and  have  several 
more  ready  in  the  same  hive.  This  is  nearly  ten  days  earlier  than 
I  have  ever  taken  any  before. — A.  Godsland. 
All  correspondence  should  be  directed  either  to  “  The 
Editor  ”  or  to  “  The  Publisher.’'  Letters  addressed  to 
Dr.  Hogg  or  members  of  the  staff  often  remain  unopened 
unavoidably.  We  request  that  no  one  will  write  private!)- 
to  any  of  our  correspondents,  as  doing  so  subjects  them  to 
unjustifiable  trouble  and  expense. 
Correspondents  should  not  mix  up  on  the  same  sheet  questions 
relating  to  Gardening  and  those  on  Bee  subjects,  and  should 
never  send  more  than  two  or  three  questions  at  once.  All 
•  articles  intended  for  insertion  should  be  written  on  one  side  of 
the  paper  only.  We  cannot  reply  to  questions  through  the  post, 
and  we  do  not  undertake  to  return  rejected  communications. 
White  Bedding-  “  Pansy  ”  (J,  G.). — Toe  flowers  received  can 
scarcely  be  called  Pausies,  or  at  least  they  are  not  so  large  as  some  of 
the  Violas.  They  are  very  good,  but  whether  the  variety  equals  or 
excels  other  white  Violas  in  floriferousness  over  a  long  period  can  oDly 
be  determined  by  comparison.  If  you  like  to  send  a  dozen  plants  we 
will  have  them  tested. 
May  14,’ 1898, 
Rainfall  (Wilts'). — The  newspaper  paragraph  you  send  contains  an 
obvious  printer’s  error.  No  one  can  understand  what  was  intended  to 
be  conveyed,  though  it  is  possible  the  amount  registered  was  (Ml  inch, 
or  something  le*8  than  half  an  inch  of  rain. 
Tomato  Culture  (Reader).  —  Thousands  of  readers  have  found 
Mr.  Iggulden’s  treatise  satisfactory  and  useful.  We  fail  to  see  how  it 
can  be  otherwise  than  reliable,  seeing  that  it  is  founded  on  many  years 
of  successful  practice,  during  which  various  difficulties  have  naturally 
been  encountered. 
Improving  Vines  (Gardener).  —  You  have  proceeded  generally 
on  correct  lines.  The  flavour  of  the  fruit  could  not  possibly  be 
satisfactory  under  the  conditions  you  describe,  nor  the  Vines  healthy. 
Take  care  that  the  drain  along  the  front  of  the  border  is  kept  free 
from  obstructions,  that  the  border  is  kept  moist  on  the  surface  and  all 
through  by  a  mulching  applied  now  of  2  or  3  inches  of  lumpy  manure 
for  the  encouragement  of  fibrous  roots,  and  that  the  main  leaves  of  the 
Vines  are  not  crushed  and  crowded  together,  but  so  disposed  that  the 
light  can  act  directly  on  their  surfaces,  then  if  they  are  kept  free  from 
insects  the  Vines  will  improve,  but  do  not  overcrop  them  this  year. 
Tuberous  Begonias  for  Pots  (J.  E.  0.). — As  your  tubers  are 
only  just  starting  into  growth  they  will  need  no  artificial  heat.  Yon 
may  pot  them  according  to  their  size  in  clean,  well-drained  pots,  using  a 
compost  of  decayed  turfy  loam,  three  parts ;  decomposed  manure,  one 
part ;  and  sweet  leaf  soil,  one  part,  adding  a  liberal  quantity  of  silver 
sand,  and  thoroughly  mixing  the  whole  together.  Abundance  of  light, 
but  shade  from  strong  sunshine,  is  essential  throughout  the  growing 
period.  They  will  succeed  best  in  the  cool  greenhouse,  ventilating  freely 
when  in  active  growth,  and  affording  adequate  supplies  of  moisture. 
The  smaller  tubers  may  need  repotting  when  the  first  pots  are  filled 
with  roots,  but  the  largest  will  only  require  once  potting. 
Aldborough  Anemones  (A.  B.). — Writing  in  the  Journal  of 
Horticulture  some  time  ago,  Mr.  W.  Allan,  Gunton  Park,  Norwich,  said  : 
— “  The  Aid  borough  Anemone  first  flowered  in  the  late  Rev.  J.  G.  Nelson’s 
garden  at  Aldborough.  The  bulb  was  sent  to  him  by  a  Mr.  Pod,  a 
Greek  botanist,  and  I  well  remember  walking  into  his  garden  one  morning 
and  finding  him  admiring  the  first  flower  that  had  opened.  The  flowers 
vary  considerably  in  character,  some  having  pointed  petals  while  others 
are  quite  round.  After  a  favourable  winter  I  do  not  know  a  plant  that 
will  give  so  early  and  brilliant  a  display  of  bloom  for  so  long  a  time. 
For  quite  three  months  it  may  be  had  in  gorgeous  magnificence.  Bulbs 
should  be  planted  in  August  and  allowed  to  remain  in  the  same  borders 
from  two  to  three  years.  No  other  plant  should  be  planted  among  them 
to  shade  the  bulbs  in  the  summer.  I  devote  a  border  in  the  kitchen 
garden  to  them,  and  plant  in  rows  15  inches  asunder.” 
Procuring  Rape  Dust  (T.  G  ). — Rape  dust  is  not  usually  kept 
in  stock  L-y  horticultural  sundriesmen,  but  it  is  sold  by  agricultural 
manure  manufacturers  or  dealers,  of  which  you  will  no  doubt  have  one 
or  more  in  or  about  Belfast,  and  though  they  do  not  generally  supply  it 
in  smaller  quantities  than  1  ton,  they  are  pleased  to  oblige  anyone  with 
a  small  amount  on  it  being  stated  to  them  that  it  is  required  for  a  special 
purpose.  If  you  were  to  ask  an  horticultural  sundriesman  he  would 
gladly  procure  both  the  rape  dust,  kainit,  and  superphosphate  for  you. 
If„you  prefer  to  order  direct  you  may  do  so  to  the  Acme  Chemical 
Company,  Limited  (which  has  been  advertised  in  our  columns),  Carlton 
Street,  Bolton,  Lancashire,  or  Tonbridge,  Kent,  (‘Homeo,”or  East  Indian 
rapemeal,  being  sold  at  6s.  per  cwt.  If  you  wish  to  do  things  as  cheaply 
as  possible  you  may  sow  the  border  at  once  with  Mustard,  and  allow  it 
to  grow  until  coming  into  flower,  then  trample  it  down  and  cover  lightly 
with  soil,  or  preferably,  turn  the  Mustard  crop  under  lightly,  if  it  can  be 
done  without  injuring  the  Vine  roots.  But  you  seem  to  wish  flowers 
on  the  border,  therefore  the  rape  dust,  kainit,  and  superphosphate  were 
advised  for  killing  the  wireworm  and  profiting  the  Vines  and  plants. 
Vine  leaves  Raten  and  Warted  (Perplexed).— 1,  The.  leaves 
of  Alicante  are  eaten  by  some  caterpillar,  but  there  was  none  in  the 
leaves  or  in  the  web-like  covering  where  the  creature  had  recently  been 
seated.  Probably  it  had  been  captured  and  destroyed  by  some  bird,  the 
common  wren  being  a  frequenter  of  houses,  and  unostentatiously  clears 
off  many  small  caterpillars.  The  small  flies  from  the  cow  manure  are 
perfectly  innocent  of  the  injury  to  the  foliage.  Look  the  leaves  over 
carefully,  and  you  may  probably  find  a  small  caterpillar  in  the  partly 
folded-up  leaves.  It  is  a  very  active  creature,  moves  either  backwards 
or  forwards  with  great  rapidity,  and  lets  itself  down  to  the  ground  by  a 
silken  thread  when  disturbed.  If  you  have  reason  to  attribute  the  damage 
to  night  prowlers  examine  the  Vine  after  dark  with  a  lantern,  pro¬ 
ceeding  cautiously,  as  any  weevils  there  may  be  will  be  easily  disturbed, 
and  falling  on  the  ground,  where  toev  feign  death,  are  not  easily  seen, 
hence  a  white  sheet  should  be  placed  beneath  the  Vine  in  the  daytime 
so  as  to  facilitate  capture  at  night.  2,  The  leaf  of  Gros  Maroc  is 
warted,  but  not  by  the  Vine  mite,  as  there  are  no  apertures  in  the  warts 
or  growth  of  hairs,  as  is  the  case  when  the  leaves  are  infested  by 
mites.  The  warting  is  a  consequence  of  cell-growth,  in  result  of  some 
chill  to  the  under  side  of  the  leaf,  and  usually  arises  from  admitting  air 
rather  freely  after  the  atmosphere  has  become  warm  and  moist  through 
the  action  of  the  sun.  It  is  not  unusual  for  only  one,  and  in  some  cases 
only  part  of  a  Vine,  to  become  warted,  the  other  Vines  in  the  house  not 
being  affected.  Beyond  appearance  it  is  not  particularly  injurious,  but 
it  interferes  with  the  elaborative  power  of  the  leaves,  and  sometimes 
hastens  their  maturity  or  premature  fall.  It  can  only  be  avoided  by 
judicious  ventilation,  and  not  always  by  that,  as  a  sudden  gust  of  cold 
air  will  produce  it,  especially  during  the  prevalence  of  cold  easterly 
currents  in  spring. 
